Diamond: A Glossary of Terms

This Help File contains many terms that are commonly used in Diamond.

Accounting Date

The date a transaction is booked for accounting purposes. Typically, it is the current calendar date or the transaction effective date, whichever is the greater.

Billed Premium

These are the changes in written premium (WP) that will be billed; the sum of the change in premiums for a given transaction. This differs from the "Change In Written Premium" on an out of sequence endorsement.

Billing Basis

This determines how installment amounts are generated.

 

1 = Wprem Bill.

2 = FTP Bill.

3 = Annual Basis.

 

When Billing Basis is "1," installment amounts are generated from written premium. For example, a 12 pay (12 month) policy will have installment amounts that are equal to WP / 12. If an endorsement occurs halfway through the term, the installments will be recreated based on the "WP / 12" rule, and the endorsement premium is the difference between what should have been billed on installments (already rolled) minus what has already been billed on those installments. This usually results in a higher endorsement premium.

 

When Billing Basis is "2," installment amounts are generated based on full term premium. On new business policies, since FTP = WP, this is inconsequential. However, in the example above, if an endorsement is processed halfway through the term, the remaining installments are based on "FTP / 12." The endorsement premium will be equal to what should have been billed on installments that have already rolled (FTP / 12 for each) - (FTP-WP) - what has already been billed. This results in a lower premium than when using Billing Basis is 1 but higher, future installments.

 

When Billing Basis equals "3," (Annual Bill), the installment amounts are calculated using the annual premium. It is very similar to FTP Bill, except for short - term policies where the premium annual field is the true annual premium amount.

Billing Installment Interval

This sets the rate of billing for installments created for a pay plan. Based on installment interval and may be based on effective date, expiration date or days in the policy term. 0 = Days and 1 = Months.

Billing Pay Plan Type

Pay Plan Types in Diamond are: 0 = Installment Bill, 1 = EFT / Credit Card and 3 = Payroll Deduction.

Calculate Installment Due Dates From Effective Date

Determines if installment due date should be calculated based on the effective date of the policy.

Calculate Installment Due Dates From Expiration Date

Determines if installment due date should be calculated based on the expiration date of the policy. If Calculate Installment Due Dates From Eff Date is selected, this option cannot be selected.

Cancel Days

This is added to Due Days to determine the Final Cancellation Date.

Cancel Delay

This is the number of days to delay a policy's cancellation during End of Day Processing. This is mainly to allow for mail time. When the policy does cancel, the date of the cancellation remains the original policy cancellation date.

Cancel Option

(Non-Payment Cancellation Option) Determines if a pay plan generates cancellations for non-payment of premium.

 
0 =
Do not generate cancellation for non-payment.
1 =
Generate cancellation for non-payment of premium using the settings in the CANCELDAYS field. The cancel date will be the greater of the Due Date + CANCELDAYS or the CARRYDATE.
2 =
Generate cancellation for non-payment of premium using the settings in the CANCELDAYS field. The cancel date will be the invoice Due Date + CANCELDAYS. The CARRYDATE id is not considered.
3 =
Generate cancellation for non-payment of premium using the settings in the CANCELDAYS field. The cancel date will be the greater of TDATE + LNOTDAYS or the CARRYDATE. This option also changes the way DUEDATE is calculated to be the lesser of DUEDATE + CANCELDAYS or the CARRYDATE.
4 =
Generate cancellation based on saved Due Days. Diamond will need to capture all due dates and Legal Cancellation Dates generated from transactions so the insured must pay each invoice before pushing the invoice date forward. This keeps the policy in equity.

5 = The calculation of the Due Dates and Cancel Dates with this Cancel Option are:
A). Calculated Due Date = Policy Eff Date + Due Days for each installment, and B). Cancel Date = Due Date + Cancel Days. A new field, "due date variance days," was added with this option. This field is used to indicate how much time that the system slides the Due Date based on how late the policy is issued, to legally comply with the amount of time required between the Invoice and the Legal Notice of Cancellation.

If Calculated Due Date (noted above) minus the system date is less than 5, then the Due Date for the installment (s) in question only will be the system date of plus "5." The Cancel Date will still be Due Date + Cancel Days. 

Cancellations

Policies are canceled in Diamond for different reasons. In the Billing System, here is how premium is handled: Billed Amount: $197.60 (Installment 1) + $148.20 (Installment 2) = $345.80. Written Premium: $108.00. Diamond calculates the following: $108.99 (Written Premium) - $345.80 (Billed Amount) = ($237.80)

Carry Date

This is the date through which coverage is provided in Diamond based on the total paid amount on a policy. The calculation for Carry Date is: 1.) WP / Total Days (On Policy) = Premium Per Day. 2.)Premium Paid / Premium Per Day = Carry Days. 3.) Total Days (In Policy) - Carry Days = Days Not Paid On Policy. 4.) Expiration Date - Days Not Paid On Policy = Carry Date

Change In Written Premium (CPREM)

This is the difference in written premium caused by a transaction, such as an endorsement. Using a six (6) month policy on which an endorsement is performed, the calculation to determine change in premium can be understood with the following example. 1.) Let's say, the full term premium (FTP) on the endorsement is $483.00 and the FTP on the original ("New Business") policy is $437.00. 2.) Do the following: $483.00 - $437.00 = $46.00. 3.) Next, take the expiration date 01/01/2005 of the original ("New Business") policy and subtract the effective date of the endorsement (11/18/2004). The number of days is "61." 4.) Do the following: 61 Days / 184 Days (Number of Days in Policy's Full Term) = .331 (Pro Rata Factor). 5.) .331 (Pro Rata Factor) * $46.00 = $15.00. The $15.00 is the Change in Written Premium.

Credit Card Decline Notice

Used to determine if a Credit Card Decline Notice is sent or not (0 = Do not send Credit Card Decline Notices and 1 = Send Credit Card Decline Notices)

Credit Card Decline Notice Days

If the Credit Card Decline Notice option is set to "1" (Send Credit Card Decline Notice), this defines the number of days a Credit Card Decline Notice is sent.

Credit Misc Charges When Cancelling Future Renewal

At cancellation, any miscellaneous charges generated from the future renewal are backed off.

Credit Service Charges When Cancelling Future Renewal

At cancellation, any service charges generated from the future renewal are backed off.

Collection Notices

 

 

DC Premium (Difference Change in Written Premium)

This is the difference between the Change in Written Premium on an out of sequence image and PC Premium (Previous Change in Premium).

Due Days

The minimum number of days between the "Transaction Date" and the "Due Date." The "Due Date" represents the "Effective Date" of the transaction OR the Transaction Date + Due Days, whichever is the greater of the two. For example, "Due Days" are equal to 30. The Transaction Date of a policy is 12/26/2005. Next add 30 days to the Transaction Date. The Due Date equals 01/25/2006.

Earned Premium (EP) and Unearned Premium (UEP)

This is the amount of written premium a company is allowed if a policy were to be canceled today. To determine earned premium (EP), do the following: 1.) Determine the number of actual days remaining in the term of the policy. 2.) Determine the number of days in the term. 3.) Divide: NUMBER OF DAYS REMAINING by NUMBER OF DAYS IN TERM. This equals the ProRata Factor. 4.) Multiply: FTP * PRO RATA FACTOR (This equals unearned premium). 5.) UNEARNED PREMIUM - WRITTEN PREMIUM.

Effective Date

The first day a policy is actively in effect. Most policies are considered to be in effect at 12:01 am on the effective date.

Endorsement Due Days

Determines the number of days between the transaction date and when the premium is due. If this field is not set, the system uses the value in the Due Days field.

Endorsement Option 1

This means bill the endorsement now. It is due immediately.

Endorsement Option 2

If an endorsement transaction causes any additional or return premium to be generated, these amounts are spread out over the remaining installments. Charges and credits are never billed immediately unless a policy does not have any future installments.

Endorsement Option 3

Bill Endorsement "Due Now" immediately for all Pay Plans. If an Endorsement transaction causes any additional or Return Premium to be generated, these amounts will billed immediately as due now for all Pay Plans, including automated Pay Plans. The difference between Endorsement Option 3 and Endorsement Option 1 is that any changes in premium resulting from a midterm transaction are spread to a special installments for automated Pay Plans with Endorsement Option 1. Endorsement Option 3 will bill these immediately.

Endorsement Option 5

Additional Premium endorsements are spread to future installments (similar to Endorsement Option 2) and return premium endorsements are added to the Billing Statement Display screen immediately (similar to Endorsement Option1).

Endorsement Option 6

When down payment is received at the time of Endorsement, payment credit will first apply to the "Due Now" portion and the remaining outstanding premium will be spread evenly among future installments.

Endorsement Options

These are used primarily to determine how billing will be done for charges and or credits that occur on endorsement transactions. In Diamond, endorsement options are directly related to a company's specific pay plan.

Expiration Date

The last day a policy is in effect. Policies are considered expired (lapsed) at 12:01 am on the date of expiration.

Full Term Premium (FTP)

This is the rated premium for a policy at the beginning of its term; usually six (6) or twelve (12) months. If there are no changes to the policy, this is the premium for the full term (length) of the policy. For a six (6) month policy having no changes, the calculation is: WRITTEN PREMIUM *1.000 (PRO RATA FACTOR) = FTP.

In Force

This is the full term premium (FTP) as of a given date such as the last date of the month.

Initial Service Charge

This determines how initial service charges are applied:

 

0 = No initial service charge.

1 = New Business and Renewals.

2 = New Business only.

3 = Renewals only.

Invoice Due Days

Minimum number of days between the Transaction Date and the Due Date. The Due Date is the Effective Date (of the transaction) OR the Transaction Date plus Due Days whichever is greater.

Invoice No Print Days

When set to a numeric value other than "0," this prevents an Installment Notice from being printed. When an installment rolls, if a Legal Notice is ready to be sent within the Invoice No Print Days, End of Day prevents the Installment Billing Notice from printing. Otherwise, the insured would see an Installment Notice immediately followed by a Legal Notice of Cancellation, which would be quite confusing. This option should be used with a pay plan having a high number of installments.

Invoice Reminder Notice

For installment billed Pay Plans, this is used to configure a Reminder Notice.

 

 

Invoice Reminder Notice Days

If the Invoice Reminder Notice field is set to "1," the number entered here sets the number of days between the due date and the final notice of cancellation / equity that would then send out the Reminder Notice. (Example: If the final date of cancellation / equity date is greater than the configured number of days from the due date, a Reminder Notice is generated.)

Late Fee

A miscellaneous charge. When a Legal Notice rolls, this charges a fee. This fee automatically generates, based on configurable pay plan settings, when a Legal Notice rolls. The amount of the fee, and whether or not to apply it, must be configured at the Company / State / Line of Business / Pay Plan level. When applicable, the fee then displays on the Legal Notice, included as part of the amount due.

Lead Days

Used with EFT and Credit Card pay plans. Represents the number of day's notice the company agrees to give the insured before applying an increase to the deduction amount. If Lead Days are equal to "0," then business will proceed normally except that installments will only roll through End of Day.

Legal Notice Days

This is the number of days prior to the Cancel Date a Legal Notice of Cancellation should print.

Legal Notice Option

Use to indicate if a pay plan should trigger a Legal Notice of Cancellation for non-payment of premium.

 

0 = Do not send Legal Notice of Cancellation.
1 =
Send Legal Notice of Cancellation

2 = Send Filing Based Legal Notice of Cancellation (For SR22 and SR-26).In the "Other Options" section of the Pay Plan screen, there are three (3) combo boxes.
Filing Type: 0 = No State Filing Option, 1 = Calculate Notice Dates based on SR22/26 Filings, or 2 = Calculate Notice Dates Based on State Filings.
Filing Cancel Days: Numeric value; work same as regular Cancel except these are applied when a state or federal filing is applied to a driver.
Filing Notice Days: Numeric Value; works same as regular Legal notice Days except these are applied when a state or federal filing is applied to a driver.

Minimum Cancel Balance

This field is verified during End of Day Processing, specifically for cancellations. If the amount in this field is greater than 0.00, EOD checks the policy's outstanding balance. If the policy has an open amount less than the minimum cancel amount and no installments remain, the policy is not cancelled. (NOTE: This value is for those companies that are behind in renewals, and this option should only be set on a temporary basis.)

Minimum Invoice Amount

Minimum dollar amount for which an invoice will print. Anytime there is an amount due greater than the minimum invoice amount outstanding, Diamond creates a Legal and Final Cancellation Date as well as creates and generates an invoice.

Month-to-Date Earned Premium (MTDEP)

In Diamond, this is calculated as: MTDWP (Month-to-Date Written Premium) + PMUE (Prior Month Unearned Premium) - UE (Unearned Premium).

New Business Renewal Lead Days

Additional number of days added to the number of Invoice Due Days for the first installment only on New Business or Renewals.

NSF Charge Amount

This is the default amount for the NSF Check Fee adjustment used in Billing. If an amount is entered in the Billing View, this amount is automatically applied.

Number of Installments

Number of installments for a specific pay plan (e.g., 1. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc.)

Out of Sequence Endorsement

An out of sequence endorsement occurs when endorsements for a policy are entered out of chronological order. Although both the endorsement and out of sequence endorsement are transactions entered the same way, it is the out of sequence endorsement that in reality should have been entered first chronologically. When an out of sequence endorsement is entered and the policy is rated and issued, Diamond internally calculates all balances for the policy from the earliest endorsement throughout the life of the policy.

Pay Dividends

This is used to determine if a company will pay a dividend to a policyholder at the end of a policy term. When the field is chosen in Diamond Administration: Billing / Pay Plan Setup, a dividend is applied to the first installment of the next renewal term OR is refunded to the policyholder upon cancellation of the policyholder. If an endorsement occurs, the system will recalculate the dividend amount and, if needed, a debit "Dividend Adjustment" will occur.

Pay Plan Description

Narrative describing the manner in which an insured pays. For example, "1 Pay." The installment percentage amount is 100%. The insured owes all premium due in one (1) pay. If it is "3 Pay," the installments are 40%, 30% and 30%. This means the insured owes 40% of the premium due on the first installment and 30% due on the second and third installments.

Pay Plans

Diamond's versatility in the Billing System allows companies to establish various methods of payments for their insureds. These are referred to as "Pay Plans." Pay plans are specifically established based on each company's unique billing requirements.

PAPrem (Prior Audit) Premium

PC Premium (Previous Change in Premium)

This is the difference from the Change in Written Premium (CWP) on the image that an out of sequence was applied to.

Policy Term

The amount of time, usually in days or months, an insurance policy is in effect.

Policy Transactions

Any activity that changes or impacts a policy such as an endorsement, cancellation or renewal. Transactions carry their own effective and expiration dates. Additionally, a policy transaction may cause a new version of the policy to exist for part of the policy term.

Print Refund Checks

This is used with EFT pay plans. If a company wishes to print their refund checks rather than have the refund processed through EFT by default, this option should contain a check mark.

Pro Rata Factor

This is a percentage of the policy's term. It is calculated by using the number of days from the current date until the policy's expiration, then dividing the policy's term. 1.) Determine the number of actual days remaining in the term of the policy. 2.) Determine the number of days in the term. 3.) Do the following calculation: NUMBER OF DAYS REMAINING (IN THE TERM) / NUMBER OF DAYS IN TERM = PRO RATA FACTOR.

Renewal Billing Option

These options cancel the policy with special criteria only on the Renewal Transaction.

Renewal Billing Options - Types

0 = N / A.
 

1 = Flat Expiration Renewal. This option cancels the policy back on the renewal effective date when the renewal invoice has not been paid. It ONLY occurs if the policy's carry date is the renewal effective date. If any other amount from the prior policy term is outstanding, the policy then goes into a normal cancellation for non-payment. Otherwise, a "Renewal Reminder Notice" and a "Renewal Expiration Notice" are generated and show on the Futures Tab. The Renewal Reminder Notice goes out according to the number of days set in the "Reminder Notice Days" field in Pay Plan Set Up. The Renewal Expiration Notice goes out (if the renewal installment has not been paid) on the renewal effective date and the policy cancels effective on the renewal date as well. The cancel reason shows as "Policy Expired" on the History screen.
 

2 = Flat Cancellation Renewal. This option cancels the policy back in time to the renewal effective date when the renewal invoice has not been paid. It ONLY occurs if the renewal invoice amount is the only amount outstanding. If any other amount from the prior policy term is outstanding, the policy then goes into a normal cancellation for non-payment. Otherwise, a "Renewal Reminder Notice" is created in the Futures Tab in addition to the legal notice, and a final flat cancellation notice. When the policy reaches the final cancel date, the policy cancels "back" to the renewal effective date. The cancel reason shows as "Non Taken Renewal" on the History screen.
 

3 = This is used for all Pay Plan configurations. This option cancels the policy back in time to the renewal effective date when the Renewal Invoice has not been paid. It will cancel back flat if a policy has a renewal bill sent, even if there is prior term premium. If a renewal bill has not been sent, the policy will follow non-pay cancellation rules.

Renewal Expiration Notice

Used only when the Renewal Billing Option is set to:  "2  - Flat Cancel Renewal." This determines if a Renewal Expiration Notice is sent. The notice is sent when a renewal is issued on a policy having no balance on the current term.

 
0 =
Do not send Renewal Expiration Notice.
 

1 = Send Renewal Expiration Notice. When this option is set, the notice generates on the Renewal Effective Date. If sent, it is displayed in the Futures Tab in Billing. If using the Flat Cancel Renewal Option and a Reminder Renewal Expiration Notice is being sent, a Final Cancellation Notice is not sent. The Reminder Renewal Expiration Notice is sent in its place.

Renewal Reminder Notice Days

Used when the Renewal Reminder Notice is set. When the Renewal Reminder Notice option is used, the notice generates on the Reminder Notice Day PRIOR to the Renewal Effective Date.

Renewal Reminder Notice Option

Used only when the Renewal Billing Option is set to: "1  - Flat Expiration Renewal" or "2  - Flat Cancel Renewal." This determines if a Renewal Reminder Notice is sent. The notice is sent when a renewal is issued on a policy having no balance on the current term.

 

0 = Do not send Reminder Notice.
 

1 = Send Reminder Notice. If sent, it is displayed in the Futures Tab in Billing. If using the Flat Expiration Renewal Option and a Reminder Notice is sent, a Legal Notice is not sent. The Reminder Notice is sent in its place.

Rescission Days

This is used to determine when a Rescission Notice is sent. When a payment or credit endorsement is applied, the system recalculates the Carry Date. If this occurs between a Legal Notice of cancellation and the Final cancellation of the policy, it is usually necessary to issue a Rescission Notice.  However, there are times when the amount of the payment or credit is only enough to extend the Carry Date a few days -- and would not be enough time to issue yet another Legal Notice for the new cancel/carry date.  In those cases, a Rescission Notice should not be sent. To determine whether a Rescission Notice should be sent the system takes the new Carry Date and subtracts the number of days in the LEGALDAYS field. It then takes the current date and adds the number of days in the RECISSDAYS field.  It compares the two values and if the Carry Date less LEGALDAYS is greater than the current date plus RECISSDAYS, a RESCISSION Notice is generated.

Rescission Option

This determines if a pay plan sends Rescission Notices or not.

 

0 = Do not send Rescission Notice.
1 = Send Rescission Notice
2 = Only send Rescission Notices when the carry date after the payment / policy transaction is greater than or equal to the next installment roll date.

3 = Send Rescission Notices Based on Notice Amount. This option bases rescission on payment of the original amount included in the Legal Notice that is mailed to the insured. If the outstanding amount from the Legal Notice is paid up to the minimum invoice amount, rescission will occur.  

Roll Only One Misc Charge

Only rolls one (1) miscellaneous charge when multiple installments roll at a time (New Business or Reinstatements).

Roll Only One Service Charge

Only rolls one (1) service charge when multiple installments roll at a time (New Business or Reinstatements).

Rounding Options

Identifies rounding options for installments 0 = No rounding. 1 = Round installments down. 2 = Round installments up

Spread Misc Charges By Installment Percentages

Some miscellaneous charges are installment based. For these, rather than spreading the charges evenly across installments, apply them according to the installment percentages in the pay plan.

Transaction Effective Date

The actual date a transaction takes effect; must be a date between the policy's effective date and expiration date.

Transaction Expiration Date

The last date a transaction is effective. It must be between the policy's effective date and expiration date.

Written Premium (WP)

This is the total cost of an insurance policy, including all transactions, over the entire length of the policy; some companies use "Billed Premiums" as their "Written Premium. In Diamond, the calculation for written premium is: TOTAL CASH + CURROUTS + FUTOUTS - (SVCCHGOUTS + SVCCHGPAID) - (MISCCHGOUTS = MISCCHGPAID) = WRITTEN PREMIUM.

Year-to-Date Earned Premium (YTDEP)

At the end of each accounting month, the month-to-date earned premium (MTDEP) is rolled to the year-to-date earned premium (YTDEP). The calculation is: YTDWP + PYUE - UE.

Year-to-Date Written Premium (YTDWP)

This is premium written for the current accounting year. In Diamond, when End of Month Processing runs, premium written during the month being closed is rolled to the year-to-date written premium (YTDWP).